Car-fender



(No Model.) -3 Sheets-Sheet 1,.

F. B. GROOKER.

GAR FENDER.

' Patented Oct. 8-, 1895.

WITNESSES I 7176' ."ltlforney- AN DREW EGHMIAM. PHOTO-LITND. WASHINGTONDYC 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. B. OROOKER.

(No Mod el.)

OAR FENDER.

No. 547,628. Patented Oct. 8,1895.

W'ITJV'ESSES AN DREW BJSRMIAM. PNOTO'UTHOVWASHINGTON. D C,

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

F. B. GROOKER. GAR-FENDER.

No. 547,628. Patented Oct. 8, 1895.

Ii VEJV T OR Z3. Croo 7667",

AN DREW B.GRAHAM, PHDTOLITHO WASIIINGTOPL D c UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

FRANK B. CROOKER, OF FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAR-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547,628, dated October8, 1895.

7 Application filed April 3, 1895-i Serial No, 544,333- lllo model.)

To all whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK B. CROOKER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fitchburg, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCar-Fenders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to that class of safety appliances designed for theprotection of human life and the reduction to the minimum of the chancesof persons being permanently maimed in the event of their being struckby p or falling in front of public vehicles, such as street-cars.

My invention has particular reference to that class of such devicesusually designated as fenders, in which the fender is carried at one orboth ends of the car and is so disposed that it projects asufficient'distance in front of the front platform of the car, whereby aperson in falling upon the fender or being tripped by the fenderstriking him will have the shock modified bya cushion effect, producedby reason of the yielding nature of the device with which he contactsand upon which he falls.

My invention consists of the parts and the constructions, arrangements,and combinations of parts, which I shall hereinafter fully describe andclaim.

Figure l is a bottom plan view of acar-fender embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing the springplatformelevated. Fig. 3 is a front view. Fig 4c is a perspective view of thewheel-guard detached. Fig. 5 is a detail of the crank-shaft 32. Fig. 6is a detail of the gripping-jaws.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on' the line m w of Fig. 4- Fig. 8 is amodification showing a means for vertically adjusting thestationaryframe. Figs. 9 and 10 are enlarged details to be referredto.Fig. 11 is a modification of the swinging frame H. I

In carrying out my invention I aim to construct the parts as strongly aspossible, while at the same time reducing the weight of the fender to aminimum. YVith this idea in view I prefer to use metal tubing in theconstruction of many parts of the device, as being the lightest and yetcheapest and strongest material for my purpose.

The fixed portion of my frame consists of horizontally-disposed metaltubes A, rigidly supported from the body of the car by means of archedor bent rods B 0, one of which is arranged near each end of the tubes A,and said tubes being practically in a plane coincident with the plane ofthe sides of the car, although they may be located inside or out side ofthe plane ofthe sides of the car-body, as may be desired, withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, the said tubes being disposedat a suitable distanceabove the road-bed and the rails to hold the frontof the fender low enough to prevent the possibility of any one fallingin front of the fender from being forced under the same and therebyinjured.

A represents a frame, which is designed to slide in the fixed frameformed by the tubes A and their supports, the slidable'frame consistingof sides a, connected at their front ends by means of T-couplings with across-piece a, and the said sides and crosspiece, being of tubularmaterial, possessing extreme lightness and strength'and combiningwiththe fixed tubes to produce a telescopic frame, one section of whichis rigid,

while the opposite section, which constitutes the fender proper, isadapted to be moved horizontally in and out to bring it into anoperative position, to render it inoperative, or drawn in under thecar-body, when desired, by means of a mechanism I will hereinafterdescribe. This telescopic frame may, if preferred, have a verticaladjustment, obtained by providing one or both of the supports B C withears or bearings a, through which pass vertical screws or threaded rodsd,.secured to the side tubes in any suitable manner, as shown in Fig. 8.These screws or threaded rods are also provided with adjusting-nuts eand jam-nuts 6', whereby when any desired vertical adjustment of thefender is secured it may be maintained until a new adj ustment isrequired. This adjustment regulates the height of the fender from theground or roadbed, and this height may be modified at pleasure by thesimple operation of the nuts before mentioned.

Projecting inwardly from the cross-tube a at the front of the slidableframe are tubular sleeves or sockets f, within which are placed springsg, and slidably mounted within these sleeves or sockets and projectingthrough the transverse tube at the front of the fender are a series oftubes or rods 71, which are acted upon by the springs g to keep the rodsnormally projected outward beyond the front of the slidable frameproper. The forward ends of these slidable tubes or rods are providedwith sleeves or guides 1', through which pass a coiled wire or otherflexible medium E, forining the front of the fender, the said flexiblefront having its ends passed through the tubular side portions of theslidable section of the telescopic main frame and having its terminalsconnected with any well-known form of tightening medium j, whereby thetension of the coiled wire front or elastic medium E may be regulated.

By reason of the foregoing construction the entire front of the fenderis made elastic or yielding, and when an obstruction strikes any part ofthe coiled wire front of elastic medium E the latter immediately yieldsinwardly and communicates its movement to the contiguous slidable tubeor rod h, with the result that the said tube or rod (or more than one)will be forced inward against the power of its own spring, as shown bythe dotted line in Fig. 1 thereby producing a cushion effect, whichgreatly relieves the shock iuc'identfto a body contacting with a hardand unyielding sui" face. a

In Fig. 10 the tube or rod his shown as having a smaller tube or rod It,screwed into its inner end to provide a shoulder against which one endof the internal spring bears, the outer end of this spring bearingagainst the closed end of the tubef, projecting from the transverse tubea. This makes a simple and desirable construction of these parts.

The top or platform of my fender consists of tightly-coiled wire springsor other equivalent fiexible material, forming a soft and yieldingsurface for anybody falling upon it. These springs F have their endsconnected with rods G, extending parallel with the sides of thetelescopic frame and secured in any well-known manner to the slidablemember thereof, and the springs F are 7 kept from spreading apart andthereby allowing a body to fall through them by means of loops or linksZ, which connect adjacent springs,- or by any other well-known method.

Either the forward ends of the rods G or some other portion of theslidable frame, preferably in advance of the cross-tube a, isprovidedwith bearings for the outer ends of the arms of the V'shaped bail orswinging frame H, which lies directly under and supports the springs ofthe top or platform of the fender, and also furnishes the medium bywhich these springs are drawn under tension and caused to assume theiroperative position, as shown in Fig. 3. The inner end of this swinginframe or bar occupies a central position under the flexible top orplatform, and it may be provided with an opening 2. (Shown in Fig. 11.)This opening will be found of advantage on those cars which employ adrawbar that usually extends a short distance beyond the front of thecar, and this opening is designed to receive said draw-bar.

The inner or movable end of the swinging frame or bar H is connectedwith a chain, rope, or equivalent device m, which extends upwardly andover a guide-pulley n, and thence to and around a shaft I, extendingtransversely across the fixed portion of the main frame and journaled inbearings in or on the arched bar or support B thereof, the said shafthaving one end formed to receive a crank or other device by which theshaft is turned,- and said shaft having a ratchet-wheel 3,:seenrejd toit and adapted to be engaged by a pawl 4, whereby the shaft is heldagainst rotation.

Chains or ropes 0 have their forward ends connected with the frontportion of the slidable frame A at either the center or sides, andthence extend backwardly, preferably at an angle, and have their innerends secured to the shaft I and adapted to be coiled around the same. Inaddition to these chains I employ other chains or ropes 0', having oneend secured to the shaft and the opposite end secured to the rear of theslidable frame, these latter chains being wound upon the shaft in areverse direction to the winding of the chains or ropes 0, whereby theyare unwound as the chains 0 are wound upon the shaft to draw the frameinward, and are in turn wound around said shaft to draw the slidableframe outward in the reverse movement of the parts.

The operation of this invention is substantially as follows: Each carwill preferably be supplied with one of the fenders at each end, andwhen the car is about to be started on its trip the shaft I will berotated to cause the chain or rope 0' to pull the fender into itsforward operative position in front of the car. In the first portion ofthe movement of the slidable frame the spring top or platform ishorizontal throughout, and as the chain or rope in shortens because ofits being wound upon the shaft as the latter is turned it pulls upon thefree end of the swinging frame or bar II and draws it upward, therebystretching the springs or flexible medinm which forms the top orplatform of the fender and causing them to assume the position shown inFig. 3. The parts are held in this position by the pawland-ratchetmechanism of the shaft I and are inoperative position to receive andform a safety appliance to prevent a person falling in front of the carbeing injured or killed by the car passing over him. A person on beingstruck by the car or falling in front of it would strike the fender, andthe latter, being of yielding nature throughout, would safely hold thatperson against serious injury until the car could be stopped. At the endof the trip the shaft I is rotated to return the parts to their originalposition under the car-body, and the fender at the opposite end will bedrawn into operative position for the return trip in the same manner andby the same arrangement of devices as previouslydescribed. As a furtherprotection to a person falling on or in front of the fender and toprevent such person rolling or being carried over the fender and underthe wheels,I protect the space between the inner end of the spring topor platform and the front of the car-body and cover any projection onthe car-body by means of vertically-disposed springs or elastic materialL, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and connect them one with another toprevent their spreading apart in substantially the same manner asdescribed for the springs of the top or platform of the fender. Thesesprings L are secured at the top and bottom to the fixed frame or otherpart of the structure in any wellknown manner.

This fender is light and secure and may be cheaply constructed. Itsspring top or platform and spring front will reduce the blow or force ofa person struck, so that if such a person is tripped by the spring frontthe blow would be of a yielding nature and he would fall withoutmaterial shock upon the spring top or platform as the car advances.

A few turns of the shaft I will set the fender and elevate the springtop or platform to its operative position or return the parts to normalinoperative position. It may be readily attached to any form of car. Itis closed from the floor of the car to the inner rear end of the fender,whereby it is impossible for a person to get under the wheels, and-it isof few parts and readily repaired if broken.

To further offer a safeguard to any one who might by any possibility getunder the fender, I employ awheel-guard, whose construction is fullyshown in Figs. 4 and 7. This guard is located just in front of thewheels of the ear and between the same and the rear end of the fender,and it comprises the following construction: Depending from the car-bodyare arms or brackets 20, to the lower portions of which are pivotallysuspended curved arms 21, suitably joined by rods or bars 22 at oppositeends and at one or more intermediate points to form a swinging frame.The upper rod serves as the pivotal connection for this frame, whileupon the lower rod or shaft 23 are rolls 24, around which and a secondset of rolls 25, also suitably mounted in the swinging frame, endlessbelts or aprons 26, of flexible material, are passed. Contiguous to theforward under side of these aprons or .belts are rolls 27, whose uppersurfaces .are designed to press against the belts with sufiicient powerto cause them totravel and whose under surfaces are designed to beforced into contact with the ground, whereby the rolls are rotated bythe travel of the car and the frictional contact of their surfaces withthe ground, and whereby when the guard is dropped or depressed, as Iwill hereinafter indicate, its rolls 27 will rest upon the ground andcause the belt to roll in an opposite direction, so that a personcontacting with either of the aprons or belts will be rolledrearwardalong the belt and will be safely deposited in the wire-netting or othermaterial 28, with which the curved swinging frame is covered. Ifdesired, the roll 27 may be positively driven by belt or chain. (SeeFig. 7.)

On or in the depending arms or brackets are guides 29, and pivotallymounted on the side arms 21 of the swinging frame are rods 30, adaptedto pass through said guides 29, while on the rods 30 are springs 31,which are designed to force the forward end of the swinging framedownward when the holding devices are released, as I will hereinafterindieate. A crankshaft/32, suitably journaled on the car-body, has itsend cranks 33 connected in any suitable manner with the free end of theswinging guard-frame, and it also has a crank-arm 34, to which a chainor connection 35 is attached.

At the forward under portion of the carbody is secured a returnspring-plate 36, each of whose members has a coincident jaw 37, betweenwhich the free end of the chain or connection 35 is passed, and thenceextends upwardly to within easy reach of the motorman in any suitablemanner. The springplate 36 is operated by a rod 38, which passes throughit and has a collar or shoulder adapted to press against the free memberof the plate, whereby when the rod is depressed by the motorman thisfree end of the plate is forced downward to open or-separate the jaws 37and allow the chain or connection to run through them and the swingingguard-frame to drop to its lowered position. Springs 39 and 40 on therod 38 assist in returning the parts to normal position after being oncedepressed, and when the motorman pulls the chain forward to againelevate the wheelguard these springs close the, jaws tightly uponvthechain and'hold it securely.

Under the car, just back of the rear or inner end of the fender, is aswinging bail or board 41, having a crank-arm 42, which is suitablyconnected with an arm on a crankshaft 43, which said shaft has a secondarm 44, whose free end lies in the plane of the free member of thespring-plate 36, whereby the body of a person or other obstructionstriking this swinging bail or board 41 will cause the arm 44 to depressthe free member of the spring-plate 36 and open the jaws, so that theswinging wheel-guard will be automatically dropped to operate as beforedescribed. v

In its normal position the lower extremity of the wheel-guard will be afew inches above the track; but-in the event of an emergency it isreadily dropped to its lowermost position, as before described. Theswinging bail or board should preferably be covered with rubber orflexiblematerial, and the wheel-guard is located between the slidingframe of the fender, while the swinging bail is best attached to theforward end of the stationary frame.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a fender, a telescopic frame consisting of a member fixedlysupported from the car body, a second member slidable in the fixedmember and provided at its front end with elastic cushions or springs,means for connecting the cushions or springs one with the other toprevent spreading, and means for operating the movable member of theframe to draw it beneath or project it from the car body.

2. In a fender the combination, of tubes supported from the sides on thecar body, a frame having side members slidably mounted in said tubes,coiled springs or elastic medium traversing the front portion of theslidable frame, and forminga yielding top or platform, means forconnecting one spring with another to prevent their spreading, and acoiled spring or elastic medium located in front of the slidable frameand supported therefrom by inwardly yielding connections, saidconnections being slidably mounted in the front portion of the outermovable frame, and connected at the outer ends with said front spring orelastic medium.

3. In a fender, the tubes fixedly supported from the car body, aslidable frame of tubular material consisting of side members slidablein said tubes, and a tube connecting the said side members at theforward portions, tubes or sleeves projecting inwardly from thetransverse tube of the slidable frame, tubes or rods slidably mounted insaid tubes or sleeves, springs within the sleeves acting upon said tubesor rods, a coiled spring or elastic medium passing across the front ofthe slidable frame and through hearings or guides in the spring actuatedtubes or rods, and other springs or elastic medium traversing the frontportion of the slidable frame from side to side, and forming a cushionedtop or platform.

at. In a fender, the combination, of tubes fixedly supported from thecar body, a frame slidably mounted in said tubes, rods or tubes parallelwith the side members of the slidable frame and connected therewith,springs traversing the front of the fender and connected with said rods,means for connecting the springs at points in their length to preventspreading, and a coiled spring or elastic me dium yieldingly supportedfrom the slidable frame and extending across the front of said frame.

5. In a fender, the combination, of a fixed frame, a frame slidablymounted therein and having its forward portion provided with a spring orelastic medium which passes around the front of the fender, and rods ortubes yieldingly mounted in the front of the slidable frame and havingtheir outer ends provided with sleeves or guides through which thespring or elastic medium atthe front passes,

and is yieldingly supported, said front spring having its ends passingthrough the slidable frame, means whereby the tension of said spring isregulated and a spring or yielding top or platform carried by theslidable frame back of the front spring thereof.

6. In a fender, the fixed frame and a frame slidably mounted, incombination with means whereby the slidable frame is moved consisting ofa shaft journaled on the fixed frame, chains or connections secured tosaid shaft and to the forward portion of the movable frame to move thelatter in one direction, chains or connections from said shaft to therearward portion of the slidable frame to move the latter in theopposite direction, said chains or connections being reversely woundupon the shaft whereby one pays out While the other is being wound, anda pawl and ratchet mechanism for holding the shaft after being turned.

7. In a fender, the fixed and movable members of a telescopic frame,said movable member having a spring or yielding top or platform, incombination with a swinging frame or V-shaped bar or rod pivotallymounted at its forward end to the movable member of the telescopicframe, a shaft and connections for effecting the movement of the movablemember, and a connection from said shaft passing through or over a guideon the car body and connected with the free end of the swinging framewhereby said frame is raised and lowered simultaneously with theprojection and retraction of the slidable member of the telescopicirameto raise and lower the spring top or platform of the fender.

8. In a fender having a yielding top or platform at its forward portion,a swinging frame beneath said top or platform and a means for raisingthe swinging frame to elevate the top or platform consisting of aturnable shaft and a connection therefrom to the free end of the frame.

9. In a fender, a fixed frame and slidable frame mounted therein, aspring or yielding top or platform carried by the movable frame, andvertically disposed springs or elastic medium connected with the movableframe and occupying the space between the inner portion of the springtop or platform and the car body, and forming a fender or shield at theback of the main portion of the spring top or platform the springs ofthe top or platform and the vertical springs being arranged in parallelseries and the contiguous springs being connected by devices to preventthem spreading apart.

10. In a fender a guard for the wheels of the car consisting of apivotally suspended frame covered with netting of flexible material, anendless traveling apron or belt at the lower extremity of the frame, anda roll under the apron adapted to contact with the roadway and with thebelt for operating the latter.

11. In a fender, a guard for the wheels of a car consisting of apivotally mounted frame covered with flexible material, an endlesstraveling apron at the forward end of the frame and a roll beneath theapron and engaging and operating the same.

12. In a fender, a guard for the wheels thereof, consisting of apivotal] y mounted frame provided with a flexible covering, endlessaprons or belts at the forward end of the frame, and carried thereby,rolls beneath the aprons for operating them by contact of the rolls withthe ground and aprons, means for holding the frame elevated, and meansfor releasing the frame and causing it to be depressed.

13. In a fender having a pivotally mounted frame provided witha'flexible covering, a means for holding the same elevated comprising acrank shaft connected with the frame, a chain or connection from theshaft, gripping jaws by which the chain is held and means for openingand separating the jaws to release the chain.

14. In a fender having a pivotally mounted frame provided with aflexible covering, a crank shaft and chain or connection whereby theframe is held in an elevated position, gripping jaws for securing thechain, a swing ing bail or frame in advance of the pivoted fender frameadapted to contact with the ground, and a crank shaft connected with thebail or frame having an arm adapted to engage and separate the grippingjaws when the bail meets with an obstruction whereby the fender holdingdevices are automatically released.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK B. CROOKER.

Witnesses:

EDITH E. CHAPMAN, HARRY W. WALLACE.

